New information on last night's shooting involving Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill is emerging at a model home in Gwinnett County.

Gwinnett police say the victim, 43-year-old Gwenevere McCord of Jonesboro, and Hill were the only ones in the home on Britt Trail Drive in Lawrenceville at the time of the shooting. Hill made the 911 call, but refused to give a statement to police as to how it happened.

McCord, described as an acquaintance of Hill’s, remains in critical condition with a gunshot to the abdomen. The woman, an agent for Paran Realty, worked inside the 3,800-square-foot home.

Meantime, Hill will remain in office for the time being. Only Gov. Nathan Deal can suspend him.

“I do not have the ability to remove anyone, sheriff or otherwise, at least until he is indicted,” Deal tells WSB’s Sandra Parrish.  “He has not been indicted, and whether or not he will be is a question that remains to be seen.”

In that case, Deal would appoint a panel of other sheriff’s to recommend whether or not Hill should be suspended.

Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter is awaiting the police investigation as to whether charges are warranted. He would need a warrant signed by a Superior Court judge in order to arrest Hill.

This is a developing update, orginial story below

When officers Sunday night arrived at the model home near Lawrenceville where Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill allegedly shot and critically injured a woman, Gwinnett police Sgt. Brian Doan said Hill “refused to cooperate and give any statement.”

Despite his refusal to answer questions from investigators, police allowed Hill to leave the scene on his own, a move that raised questions.

According to Georgia law, “a sitting sheriff cannot be charged except by a warrant issued by a Superior Court judge,” Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said Monday morning in an interview with AM750 and 95.5 FM News/Talk WSB, a news partner of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“You have to have the warrant issued before the sheriff can be arrested,” Porter said. “What I’m trying to figure out is, does that apply to a sheriff all the time, or only in the performance of his official duty.”

He said police Monday were trying to reconstruct the incident, “which is a little more difficult because Sheriff Hill declined to give a statement yesterday.”

Once police determine how the shooting took place, “then we’ll make a decision on what, if any, appropriate charges there are,” Porter told WSB.

Asked how long that might take, Porter said, “police should have their investigation wrapped up fairly quickly, and then we’ll have a decision in the next few days.”

Police Monday morning had not released the woman’s name, nor updated her condition.

The woman, a Paran Realty agent who worked inside the 3,800-square-foot, Lawrenceville-area model home, was shot in the abdomen and taken to Gwinnett Medical Center, according to police. She and Hill were acquaintances, police said.

“She’s not able to give any information due to her condition,” Doan said.

Officers were called to Britt Trail Drive on a report of an accidental shooting shortly before 7 p.m., according to police. No information was available on who placed the call to 911, but the sign on the door of the home said it was open until 6 p.m. Sunday.

Hill was released from the scene while the investigation continued late Sunday. Officers executed a search warrant and remained at the home for several hours. The weapon used was located inside the home, but it was not known if it was Hill’s county-issued gun.

It was not known if Hill would face criminal charges for the shooting, which was reported to Porter.

“Sheriffs can be charged,” Doan said. “But, when you’re an active and sitting sheriff, there are things that have to be done before you can be charged with a crime.”

It was also not known late Sunday how the incident may affect Hill’s job. Clayton Commission Chairman Jeff Turner said the governor is the only one who could remove Hill from office.

“We have to see how the situation unfolds,” Turner said Sunday night. “He’s still the sheriff of this county. We just have to put our faith in the justice system and see what develops and handle it accordingly.”

Janice Dean was visiting a relative in the Park Haven subdivision just a few houses down from the model home when the shooting happened.

“It’s a long way to come to shoot someone accidentally,” Dean said. “I would expect him to have a gun in Clayton County, absolutely. But once he’s not in Clayton County, it should stay in the car.”

The shooting comes less than three weeks after the former Peachtree City police chief was indicted for allegedly shooting his former wife on New Year’s Day. On April 15, a Fayette County grand jury indicted William McCollom on a reckless conduct charge for the shooting, which paralyzed Maggie McCollom.

Hill, 50, is in his second term as sheriff and began his current term Jan. 1, 2013. He was also sheriff from January 2005 through 2008. Both of terms in office have included controversy.

In 2013, Hill was acquitted of racketeering charges related to his use of a county-issued credit card.

During the final week of his first term, Hill filed for bankruptcy, due partly to the amount of money he owed in damages for lawsuits against him. On his first day in office in 2005, Hill fired 27 deputies, who later sued for wrongful termination. They won their jobs back and settled for $7 million, which was paid by Clayton County.

— Staff writers Arielle Kass, Tammy Joyner and Christian Boone contributed to this report.